Scaup, 4 a day? REALLY?

Well, my birthday present was pretty much the greatest news waterfowl related since 1995. looks like the powers that be are giving us 4 bluebills a day this year, that along with 2 redheads and the option o1 canvasback. In honor, I'm posting this quick recipe video of my favorite way to cook them. the Chef did forget to add one key ingredient, this pairs VERY nicely with a glass of crown royal and three ice cubes. ENJOY!

A post from late spring

I know, I KNOW, its been FOREVER since I've posted. I hear about, I understand, but sometimes, work, family, health, and just about everything else gets in the way. My buddy Ryan from Boise flew out to experience the DRIFTLESS this late Spring. While the size of fish compared to out west is considerably smaller, the fish in density are not. Its simply the best trout fishing east of the rocky mountains.
We enjoyed  some decent streamer fishing for Brookies, some fantastic nymph fishing for browns, and even a few fish to take some black caddis and olive imitations.

Its been a very busy summer without hardly time to train Duke, and for surely fish, as a matter of fact this late April trip I'm describing was actually the last time I've fished, as sorry as that sounds. One things for sure, I have some vacation time coming up for this Fall, and I plan on using it.
I'll try to take some pictures or video of Duke training coming up soon. he's a fun little bugger. No graceful water entry for this OAF!

Some darn nice work

I'd like to thank Todd Huffman for his beautiful job on a bird that was shot two seasons ago. It was a bird that Dottie pointed, held, and retrieved. It must have been hit by one pellet, because it was in great shape when it came to hand.
Anyone looking for a bird specific taxidermist would be hard pressed to find one better than Todd  "birdman studios" Huffman in Colorado.
Enjoy!

Great news for bluebills!

Some absolutely great footage of some research being done on my favorite diving duck! Just a couple of weeks ago!

Just make sure to pause the music on the bottom of my page before you hit play


Waterfowl scientists wade into diving duck study from Chris Young on Vimeo.

HAPPY EASTER!

Let me first say I'd like to thank Jesus for dying for our sins today,  and that without that forgiveness I'd be one sorry soul.
I got to head down to the driftless (despite my wife's birthday) (she's an angel) for the third time this season already. I had high hopes of some little black caddis action as I had heard they were just starting during the work week (of course). We had left early in the morning after seeing that a pretty hard frost was taking hold on most of the state, and knowing the fish would be totally lethargic and not wanting to be active for the first few hours of daylight.
Arrival approximately 10 am, we got all our gear on, assembled rods, and started our quick jaunt to my favorite stream in Vernon county. As it usually happens, i had line management problems and managed to lose my clippers in the first five minutes. This would have been a prime opportunity for which many of you that know me, to have what most refer to as a "hulking out" moment.

I can honestly say David Banner stayed cool, nothing was thrown, my eyes stayed blue instead of green, and the serenity and song of the red winged blackbird only paces away from, kept me in the calmest state of mind humanly possible.
It didn't take long to get into fish, Caddis worms and tiny black nympth were just what the doctor ordered for this chillier than expected morning. As the day wore on , I found a few fish willing to explode on the surface for my best black caddis dry imitation, but as a true caddis fan, much less than what I had hoped for.

A quick trip with great conversation with my buddy Scott, many tugs on the end of my line, a few organic beers, my sins forgiven, and somehow everything in the world seems right!

Time to take a few fish?

I recieved this from a friend regarding the Driftless of Wisconsin, and sounds like we can help

Gill Lice in the Driftless All Concerned, I wanted to bring this up as I'm sure a lot of the folks on here enjoy fishing for trout in SW Wisconsin. Unfortunately, Gill Lice is becoming more prevalent in the driftless area and is taking its toll on the brook trout as it directly affects the respiration, oxygen and carbon dioxide process. Below is a response from Susan Marcquenski, a Fish Health Specialist, to a gentlemen’s email that lives in SW Wisconsin. I am the Department's fish health specialist and Mike Staggs asked me to respond to your e-mail regarding gill lice affecting brook trout in Wisconsin streams. You are right, gill lice (a parasitic copepod called Salmincola edwarsii) can cause significant physical trauma to the gill filaments, causing deformities which affect respiration and the efficient uptake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide, ammonia and other metabolites. Fish that are heavily infected cannot obtain sufficient oxygen when they are exercised, such as when they are caught by angling. Gill lice have a direct life cycle- when the egg sacs release nauplii, they immediately molt and become the first copepodid (larval) stage and they have about 24 hours in which to find a new host and anchor onto the gills and continue their development. After several molts, the copepods reach maturity and remain permanently anchored in the gill tissue. This is a significant stress especially when more than one parasite is attached to a gill arch. In streams with dense brook trout populations, the success rate for the larvae to attach to gills increases due to the greater chance of contacting a fish within the 24 hour "post hatch" period. Streams with faster water flow (velocity) can make it harder for the larvae to successfully attach. So fish density and water velocity are two factors that affect the prevalence and intensity of infection by Salmincola edwardsii in a stream. A third factor that may play a greater role in the future is temperature trends. Gill lice are invertebrates and therefore their development is proportional to the water temperature of the stream. If water temperatures increase, the parasites will develop to maturity faster and will then be able to reproduce one or more extra "generations" each year. Because the copepods remain on the fish, the affect of more generations of parasites is cumulative and we may see far higher numbers of gill lice on individual fish in the future. So rather than not fish the streams where gill lice are present, I would encourage people to fish and take fish home (reduce the density of the fish) as long as the fishing regulations allow this. Anything that can be done to keep water moving (faster velocity) may also help reduce the probability of larvae to successfully attach to fish. It would take a special study to do this, but it would be interesting to compare the prevalence (percent of fish infected) and the intensity of infection (number of gill lice per fish) of gill lice in brook trout streams that have high densities with those that have low densities; those with faster velocity vs those with slower; and slightly warmer vs colder streams. Thank you for taking the time to share your concern with us, and please let me know if you have any questions. Sue Susan V. Marcquenski Fish Health Specialist WI Department of Natural Resources Box 7921 101 S. Webster St. Madison WI 53707

Return to the "Driftless"

It's been too long, a year to be exact. I certainly wont make that mistake again.  I went back to an old stretch of river that I've fished many times, and like welcoming home an old friend, it was bliss from the moment I walked through the door.
I picked a rock to see what was going on for bug life, a few crawler mayfly nymphs , midge larvae all over the place,  a few sow bugs, and a freshwater shrimp. This made my selection of 'old reliable" fairly simply. I tied on my olive tungsten scud trailed by a juju midge, and by my third cast, I had already hooked into a plump little foot long fish.
This could have very well been the theme of the day. It seemed like we couldn't go five or ten casts without hooking up, and we weren't complaining, but yet we were a bit puzzled? This river had normally housed at least a few line breaking , muscle bound Browns, that made you realize the need for fluorocarbon a few times during the day. Where in the world had they gone?

Was it simply this crazy warm spring, and they weren't up in the normal holes? Or, was it simply that our cast, mending, and acumen wasn't up to par with getting the right to hook one of these fish yet? My guess is it's a combination of the two. A quest to the DRIFT LESS ANGLER afterwords made me feel a little bit better about the lack of larger fish. Matt had said this particular river had been fishing that way this season, and he had no idea why? Could it be there were to many takers last season, or a fish die-off, to many little guys for competition? I had no idea why, but to put that many tugs on the end of my four weight was just too great to put into words.
Nothing was truly "coming off" today except for a few sporadic egg laying black caddis, but I suspect that the next coming weeks it could really go off down in SW WI. I plan on being there when it does!
So for you readers of the blog, I'm always looking for fishing partners. It seems we all get way to busy in life, whether that be because of work, kids, yard chores, etc etc, DON'T LET THIS SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER GET AWAY! I let ALL of last year get away, and I'll never forgive myself!

Been to long!

Since I've updated this blog! I apologize for that. I will update you on a hunt in the Mojave desert I got to experience with some good friends this past January!
We call this place, "the flat spot", because as crazy as it sounds to a flatlander, this is one of the flattest spots we chase quail in this area. I personally find this spot beautiful. While most would look at this place as a barren, dry, good place to hide a body, I find it rather lush , always willing to give up a few quail if we walk long and hard enough.



It didn't take to long for us to find our first small group of birds, and as expected, they jumped the road and found the absolute steepest place in the area. chasing quail uphill is not only "fun", its a good barometer of your heart health, today I passed with flying colors. Scotty is seen here, just catching his breath after the mini sprint uphill. its amazing what these little birds can actually hold in, and I wish I would have had Dottie out here, it would have made for some great pointing opportunities, its been a while since I've seen them hold this tight. We had less than stellar shooting a a group, but I did manage to kill four birds with my first four shots.

God repaid me the next day for for pride by striking me down with the absolute worst flu bug I've ever had. losing 7 lbs in 2 days and not even making it home because I was too sick to board a plane. All in all it was still great, and something I hope I'm able to do into my later years, I truly enjoy it. Something I found kind of interesting, I've been hunting this same general region for over a decade, without as much as seeing a tick. this trip, we had three? Those little buggers just might be the toughest insect on earth, it seems they can spread and live just about anywhere. Spring creeks start next weekend! My posts will be much more frequent, as the spring early season is upon us!

Thanks R.G.S.

As some of you have read from a prior posts on here, i was part of the stars being aligned, and also waiting for lightning to strike my gun, as i was part of a rare "triple" on ruffs this season.
The Ruffed Grouse society has a club, in which you have to be a member to qualify, but none the less have to sign an affidavit to say you shoot two simultaneous birds in the air at the same time, also a witness. They keep track and then you are listed in their all time records.
Besides this nice little plaque certificate, they also send you a silver pin with two birds on it.
it was a much nicer award than i thought it would be, and it was free!
Anyway, not much to see here, but i thought some of you might enjoy seeing what they actually send you, its quite nice!

I-DA-HOpe I can go back!

I have been hearing what a great upland and waterfowl state Idaho is for at least a few years, from the one time CA resident and my best insurance provider R. Crosby. he liked it so much, he uprooted his family and moved there.
Right from the get go the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. the first day met us with a snowstorm and icy roads. we had tried to hunt the area just on the border or Oregon, and the famous "Hells Canyon."
It didn't take long for us cut a Chukar track, but as usual, the terrain was just ridiculous that these hell chickens dwell in. The rock,shoals, and 80 degree incline combined with a layer of ice and snow, made it nearly impossible for this flat lander to keep his feet and become a member of the under forty hip fracture club. I knew I would have to save some energy and didn't want to burn out within the first hour of the hunt, so i urged Ryan who had been chasing big game through these mountains for the past couple of months to continue on a brief quest to track them down.

He ended up flushing two of them , but no shots were offered. i didn't feel so bad as I watched him come down the hill and fall keyster first onto the slippery grade all with a big smile on his face.
We thought we would drop a little lower and try for what was usually a sizable Hun population at a little flatter and less snow accumulated hillside.
It looked perfect, offering enough rock for hiding spots, and plenty of what we call cheat grass here in the Midwest.
We worked the fabulous looking draws and rock outcroppings for a couple of hours, but it just didn't seem in the cards today. On the bright side, I think I'm evolving as a hunter. I flew halfway across the US, it was 11 o clock, I hadn't flushed a bird , but I could stop gazing at what I was surrounded by. I can honestly say I had never felt so minute, so alive, and  so aware of my surroundings. It was a cathartic feeling, that few to many city dwellers every get the chance to experience.

The next day found Ryan and I heading to the fabled Snake river. I knew I was in for a treat just from the variety of birds and and lack of competition that I was used to here on the ever popular Green Bay. Wading across waist deep current at high levels is always a challenge, but it was SO neat to see Decoy, (Ryan's dog) use strategy in the angles he swam at  downed birds. he's one heck of a gritty dog, not sure I've seen  one more willing to withstand the elements. It wasn't long before we had drake mallards, wigeon, (as pictured) gadwall, among others finishing to our spread of only 11 decoys. If I lived here, it would hard to ever go to work with the ample opportunities of game around every corner.
Tired from the previous two days, to much 44north vodka, (which is fabulous and made from Idaho potatoes) and my well worn body that has been at it hard since mid September, we decided to chase some roosters and quail around his house. we had a few chances at both, but were to busy jaw japing, watching sunsets, or capturing the shots of the trip with my camera. Oddly enough, I didn't care. I hadn't harvested one upland bird on this entire trip, but I did shoot something that  knew would be much more important. I managed to have the perfect light, the perfect backdrop, and capture the perfect moment between two partners that Ryan will cherish for the rest of his life. I was lucky enough for someone to catch a shot similar last year, right before I lost Kwik. the bond between a man and his first real bird dog is like steel. It's the strongest, hardest, and one day coldest thing there ever is, BUT shots like this will always bring a smile, and admiration for the owner, forever. A toast To DECOY!

A snowy, uneventful, ending to the best season ever

What a year.
From the vast ebbs and flows of too windy to hunt, to the extreme heat in the middle of October, this was a year of extremes. So it shouldn't have come as a surprise that a cold, snowy morning met us on our closing weekend of "grouse camp." We usually end camp a week earlier, but thought It might be nice to be able to hunt a weekend longer, i can now say that we probably wont do that again next season.
We always thought "snow hunting" would be a lot of fun, i can now attest, I prefer no snow, none at all. the grouse seem to go and hide in places i have yet to figure out, but I can be sure its not tag elders, lowland pine, swamp, etc, because we worked all those things on Saturday.
Not one single flush made itself known to us this day, but that was OK. we were simply exhausted after working three straight productive covers and letting nothing but snow down the back of our necks Dottie was freezing, chaffed, and beat from the long season that she just wasn't willing to give up on.

We had 50 flush days, got into a nice flight of woodcock, Shot extremely well, and enjoyed each stroll just a little more this year. Maybe it was maturity? Maybe it wasn't? One thing is for sure, i feel a threshold was crossed this year. Dottie made her place in my grouse history as the best pointer I've had. I did end up hunting by myself this season more than years past, which i thought I would hate, but it was quite the contrary.
A closing of another Wisconsin grouse year, lets hope the cycle can remain steady for one more season.
OFF TO IDAHO!

A Doodle Dandy

It was the last weekend of our Woodcock season, and they are my trusted partners favorite bird, so I felt a little pressure to take advantage of the nice November weather we had been having, and go to the ONE spot that if there are doodles around, it will produce. Joining us this day was Bob's son Christopher, "esquire" for his first hunt after the long bill.  It didn't take long for Dottie to get birdy, I have no doubt she was trailing running grouse from her pointing style, and the amount of point and stalk instances that were occurring. Then came the staunch, low bodied curl that usually means Woodcock. A quick tramp around a ten foot area resulted in a quick brown feathered friend in the gamebag, then it turned into The shooting gallery that it usually is.
Christopher sporting his 28 gauge and a much quicker gun mount that his father connected on his first with a great shot and big smiles!
After we had three quick birds in the bag, we thought we'd leave some for the sports in Louisiana, and decided to move on to some more productive (or so we thought) grouse covers.  Some of which had produced double digit flushes in small area just two weeks prior.
It just wasn't in the cards today for ole ruff. I'm not sure if someone had just worked some of these areas just before we got here? If the winds or weather changes had put them into the thicker pines? Or, the birds were simply running so much, that we couldn't keep up with them. We saw a couple, but nothing like the weeks before.
I found out later, that a close friend of mine was having the same exact issue in the same general area, and had actually witnessed birds running in the aspen away from his dog on numerous occasions that morning.
After a quick of Chicago style hot dogs and Italian beefs at the "Green Shack", our bodies were nourished and legs rested. Trying to think of a place that had entirely different cover that what we had previously been working, bob and I realized we weren't so far from one of those places, "Kwiks last trail".
I have this cover described in a much earlier post, but it includes a beaver pond, swamp, aspen, pretty much everything on the planet, but its a good half mile walk through unproductive cover to get through it.
About half way to the good stuff, Dottie slams on point, so serious that I KNEW a bird was near, but WHERE? this was a terrible area for classic grouse cover?
As I'm looking around a grouse bursts out a pine/ dogwood cover and Bob connected with is little 28 ga of Turkish origin.
I cried enough on this trail last year, but inside I was crying again. Kwik came through again, like he always did, even Bob mentioned that he knew he was looking down on us and made sure we got one on his trail, he would have it no other way.
After working the entire cover and putting up a few more birds offering no shots, we started our venture back. Dot jumped into the thickest patch of tag alders I've seen in years. it was going to take me five minutes to get where she was, but she was unrelenting, so i had to jump in. Half way into it a red phase offered me a small window between two large pines, I fired two quick shots and it miraculously fell. A great day shared between Friend, Father, and Son.

Waterfowl week

After spending the majority of my vacation and the early part of October chasing grouse around the aspen jungles of Wisconsin, I decided I was going to put a week long effort into chasing the large variety of fowl we have in our fine state.

With new friends and old, it was a week to remember, Although the shooting was never completely "fast and furious", we found great variety and some fantastic specimens.
Here is mark aka "The GOOZENAZI" with a nice drake redhead that never would have made it into our boat, as my first shot was a good two feet behind him.

It seems like this year the weather has been of the extremes. Sometimes having so much wind that even a seaworthy vessel would be taking an unnecessary chance with ones life, so a few days we decided to keep it a little closer to shore than I would have preferred, but it TOTALLY paid off!

On those classic grey days like shown the picture on the left, with two great canvasback bulls, you just cant help but feel the chill of an early Winter on it's way. Having the opportunity to share the blind with a lifelong friend and one gigantic thermos of coffee keeps the soul warm enough to brave out the inclement weather. Laughing at the same dumb jokes and anecdotes for the last 25 years, certainly hasn't got old, but we are starting to. We start talking about our bad hips, sore knees, and hairlines that move just a little further back each Fall.




As a change of pace, Even more friends (and their boys) decided to hit a traffic field for some Canada goose action. The opposite end of the spectrum for wind met us that morning, all 2-3 mph of it. Giving those smart, old , and  pressured honkers more time to analyze your decoy placement and to make out your "hide of blind" never makes it any easier. A small raincloud made our decoying life MUCH easier and it didn't take long to add smiles, and talk of going out to breakfast to celebrate. Its amazing how your perspective changes when the day is seen through young, wide eyes.

Last but not least, it was kind of exciting to have multiple chances on small flocks of Sea Ducks, I love the way they decoy, but not necessarily the way they taste. Some Scoters are very large ducks, and decoy with reckless abandon.
Their tough enough to bring down, especially after shooting bluebills, and redheads most of the week.
Randy had to do a little emergency surgery on me about an hour before this picture was shot, as half of an earplug broke off way up inside my ear. a flashlight and a long nosed leatherman lent new credence to the Army way, of always being prepared!  It truly was a great week, blending new and old friends, and more experiences to the highlight reel that seems to become distant memories with each passing year!

O.B.G.C 2011

The O.B.G.C. 2011 had high hopes after yours truly had done a good bit of scouting/hunting and groundwork for the foursome who had started this tradition just 6 short years ago.
We were going to be one member short after a heel spur and a meeting with a slamming screen door and all but guaranteed my father wouldn't be joining us this season, we raised a "few" glasses in your honor.
Paul ( my brother in law) and I drove up together on thursday night, and created the aroma of the culinary favorite of frozen pizza and seagrams 7 in the a frame of happiness.
A breakfast of eggs over easy and way to much bacon was enjoyed by both of us, And the only finicky German shorthair eater I've ever met, miss Dottie.

We started our morning at what we like to call "tick heaven", which populates the deer variety to almost plague levels, but the amount of ruffs in this place, makes it worth the risk.



Paul was absolutely ecstatic with his first shot of the trip to harvest his first 'BRONZE" grouse of his life, and only the second one i had ever seen.

That was until we walked 500 yards and I shot another one, UNREAL! I knew this season was going to be special when I shot a triple, but TWO bronzes on the same day? Ic need to buy a lottery ticket

Both paul and I are now in our mid thirties, and have been trying to eat much healthier, so instead of the bar hamburger and fries. I decided to pack a "gluetin free" lunch of almond butter sandwiches, dried fruit, and plenty of beef jerky. hey , we all have to start somehere.



A few rudimentary english boxlocks, with origin dates back to the 1920's, I know its not a borowed Purdey or Holland and Holland, but that suits us just fine, but not the other three grouse.

"Sam" is ALWAYS helpful in getting rid of the contents from the guthook application on my knife. He sits and waits so patiently, but I have to wonder if he'd prefer the breast meat and legs instead. So majestic, so flipping big!



The second morning we were finally joined from our favorite teeth junkie who is just here to 'take it all in."  Its rare we ever get him to pose for a picture, so i knew after all the contacts we had today, I better take advantage of the situation.

Although our shooting was pretty much terrible over the past two days, we still managed to take a few more birds than last season, and hunt a few less hours. It's really bad at my age when your hips and spine really cant function without Advil after a all day grouse affair for a couple of days, BUT its a great time to be sore, that is October, and it is GRAND!

Back after 'The Professor"

I got out of work a little early, so I figured I'd try to get up to camp in hopes of getting an afternoon hunt in with one of my employees who is an experienced "Harlequin of the fields" hunter, and had only kicked up grouse on the way to his deer stand and had always wanted to try hunting them. It had started to drizzle and the wind was blowing a good 20 mph with low, grey, clouds speedily moving their way across the sky.
I knew we had to get to a place that had a bit of a windbreak. I decided to try the "professors" cover first. The "professor" is a huge grey phase who got his name last season as my brother in law and myself flushed him three times, EACH time he flew DIRECTLY at our heads almost having to duck in self defense.
The professors lair:



Dottie the (CLOSE WORKING POINTER)
was ecstatic to see they were actually doing more cutting around that particular cover, so she can finish out here life in this great little piece of heaven.



It didn't take long before she got really birdy, and I thought she was on His majesty, she locked up and the bird flushed about 3 seconds later.
Two quick IN THE OPEN shots for Luke yielding nothing but curse words and "holy crap those things are twice as fast as a pheasant". All I could think to myself was ,"finally, another convert".
We followed up for a reflush, when Dottie locked up again, I heard the bird and JUST caught a fleeting glimpse when I touched off the more open of my two barrels, To my surprise she fell. It wasn't the Professor, but I'm guessing it was one of his redhaired ladies:



Not wanting to take any other of his harem, we decided to move on.
The next cover was VERY small, Dottie wasn't 5 minutes in when she locked up on a nice little timberdoodle, which Luke claimed as his first, a bigger smile I don't think I've ever seen on his face.


The wind was really starting to rip now, so we carefully watched the enormous oaks, and cedars swaying with each heavier gust. Then stopped the bell. About 40 yards to my right the absolute largest Ruff I've ever shot without question presented me with a small window to connect. With a whole lotta luck the back trigger did its job, you can see from this picture just HOW big this bird was. the other bird its next to was an adult from a little later.



It was honestly our plan to hope for the best once we got back to camp and watched the evening forecast for wind. After seeing sustained and gusts even heavier than today, we decided  the only thing we'd be hitting for the weekend was this, and hit it we did, HARD.

this morning was awful

Earning her spot on the wall

She earned it, after only 6 years
Dottie that is.
My wife and I have only had one other dog that we felt was professional portrait wall of fame worthy. We loved all our dogs, but only two have been extra special so far. Dottie earned her spot this year. We have a fantastic photographer in Charles Lieneger who did Kwik's shot, and now Dottie's.
I never had any idea how hard it would be to keep a pointing dog still enough in the right amount of light, right position, ALL while being outdoors where a hunting dog is trying to do what it was breed for, HUNT!
Anyway, I couldn't be happier as this shot here, it's merely a cell phone shot of the actual proof. Its SO much more vibrant in person. Shes always impressed with her countless Grouse and woodcock points, her steadiness, calm demeanor, and her sweet, soft, nature that most GSP owners can't believe, she will ALWAYS have a place in our hearts and on our wall.
Congrats Dottie Girl!

A taste of Fowl

Every once in a while, I get a hankering to head out to a marsh in which I cut my teeth as a waterfowler.  It's not not a big marsh by any means, but it has a great variety of ducks that always keeps it interesting.
The sunrise always welcomes me home and fills the new day with anticipation of great reward.


The tool of the trade has changed throughout the years. It started out with a Remington in 1989, there were many  impostors in between, now back to the one who brought me.


The speculum color flashing brightly against the new beams of Sun, while the heft in your hand leaves a slight moment of regret.

The regret REALLY comes in the form of sore fingers after the daunting task of plucking a bird completely, but the skin makes it so OH so delicious.Especially when your wife can plate a dish like no other.

A quick walk, with results

It was the official opening of "grouse camp" this weekend, as My father, my dentist, and myself rent a cabin every Fall. This afternoon found my father with a prior engagement, my dentist with being a cheerleader for his wife who decided she was going to run a marathon, and myself, who decided to take the bull by the horns, and clean up camp this afternoon.
After using the vacuum to suck up minimal dirt and the remnants of the eurasian beetles that make themselves at home in the wood, i found myself with a couple of hours before sunset to hit a few covers.
This first cover was hilarious. It started spitting rain along with our 20 mph north winds the minute i opened the jeep door. So while i was asking myself why didn't I just stay at camp,  a young brown phase erupted less than 10 feet from me. I was so surprised that he was that close, i airballed. Dottie didn't even scent him, so i was surprised to say the least. I followed up , but flushed another adult bird on my way to end of the trail, he was in the cut pretty far, and offered no shot.
i decided to work through the cut in hopes of finding him again, we were almost back at the jeep when dottie locked up on a grass and wood pile. (NO WAY) i thought. that little brown phase comes flying out offering me two easy shots going away, miss, miss.
I had to laugh.

So i followed it into the other side of the cut, Dottie catches scent, and I ready myself, just in time to have a woodcock flush from under her nose. The little brown bird tumbles against the backdrop of the enormous coldfront that rolled into town last night. It certainly wasn't what i expected to come flying out of there, but a pleasant surprise to say the least.
 After putting the doodle into my vest Dottie points again and her bell is silenced. My third opportunity at that little brown phase leaves my the easiest grouse shot in the open I've ever had. This time i actually do my part.
I decide to walk by a small Brook trout stream on the opposite side of the cut (mostly to see the spawning jewels of the North) when the bell goes silent again. A Grey phase swoops from a tree limb downward towards the swamp alongside the river.
It was out there a ways, so I squeezed my back trigger, and by dumb luck he tumbled to the aspen leaf covered floor.
I certainly wasn't expect this this evening, but i felt did enough harvesting for the day.

So Dottie deserved "shotgun' in the Jeep on the ride home complete with her favorite blanket, you can tell by the picture, she was quite happy

A TRIPLE ! swear to God!

Its one of those things that will never, ever, happen ever again. So I'm just gonna cherish it, and my season has already been made.

It was going to be a cool weather morning, and the rain was expected to stay away till at least noon, so i took Dottie and a friend who has been bugging me to get out. The foilage is still REALLY thick at this stage in the game, so i remembered a cut i haven't hunted in a few years that offered a bit of a trail alongside some older aspens, and some berries of all different sizes and varieties.
nate and i had let dottie go, (she's a bootlicker, so no astro needed) and started our gait, from about 100 yards down the trail she was already getting "birdy", she had a nice point on an adult bird that Nate barely caught a glimpse of.
I was just excited she had a nice point and contact , as i wasn't expecting much.
just like clockwork, she got birdy about another 100 yards down the trail, this time pointing off to the left, we followed her in, but nothing there, the minute we came back onto the road, she locked up on the other side, FLUSH, it offered me a fleeting shot , which i took, and blissfully airballed on my first shot of the season (AH YES)!
Just after i shot, i heard another flush off in the distance, and that alarming chirping we sometimes hear. there she goes again, locked up, I had to snap this photo: (above the text)

Two smaller birds flushed from ground to WAY up into the trees (I'm talking like 50 feet), I saw one but didn't feel like "treeing" a bird, especially a young one.
I was already happy with the day, Dottie was great, we saw some birds and it was a positive sign that at least some birds had made it through the spring.

WE walked for about another 15 minutes, when Dottie started getting REALLY birdy, like dropping her whole body to about an inch off the ground birdy. I had never seen her do this before. It was right at a waist high berry patch. as soon as Nate and I stopped, five birds erupted into the air. i mounted straight out and fired, two birds fall, (theres still three birds in the air), and swing as hard as i can to catch up, and pull my back trigger, another puff of feathers.
REALLY a TRIPLE? I couldn't believe what just happened. Nate was already going in to help Dottie find dead birds, and more birds started flying. Nate pulled on a hard right to left crosser, but didn't connect.  I couldn't even shoot cause i was so in shock.
Needless to say i put the three birds in the bag, and just slowly sauntered back behind Nate on the trail. We ended up bagging one more birds, and had a few more nice points and opportunities, but i think my season was already made.

The tide, Youth day, and one gorgeous sunrise

The darn tide, most people never even realize that the Great Lakes or the Bay of Green bay even have one.
I went scouting last week to try and find some suitable places for Wyatt to go under the "mentor" program, for youth waterfowl day. I thought we had some pretty decent places mapped out. We were the ONLY ones at the launch by 5 am this morning, and seeing as how shooting time was roughly six, I thought we were for sure going to have a banner day.
Well, the Bay had other plans. The prevailing winds should have put PLENTY of water in the rushes for me to pull my boat within three feet of the aquatic vegetation (it only drafts 6 inches), but we coudn't get within 50 feet, which wouldn't have been a problem but our shooter didn't have waders along, so we went for the next best option , open water hunting.
Not exactly perfect for puddle ducks, but the only option we had left, we set up the legal 500 feet from shore and hedged our bets. We got a few looks from some mallards, and even some early season divers (which i was quite surprised to see) but now quality shots were presented. its tough enough for an 11 year old to hit something while remaining stationary, and the boat and been rocking pretty good.
Just when we had about given up hope, a lone honker had cupped his wings and presented us a shot, we weren't on the mark, but just had a quick chuckle, and enjoyed which was truly one of the prettiest sunrises I've ever witnessed.
Wyatt can't wait to go out again, so unlike the video game era of today's children who try something once, and quit if they fail,  Wyatt wants another shot, and I'll be ready to help him get it!